Experimental determination of grain density function of AZ91/SiC composite with different mass fractions of SiC and undercoolings using heterogeneous nucleation model

The grain density,Nv,in the solid state after solidification of AZ91/SiC composite is a function of maximum undercooling,ΔT,of a liquid alloy.This type of function depends on the characteristics of heterogeneous nucleation sites and number of SiC present in the alloy.The aim of this paper was selection of parameters for the model describing the relationship between the grain density of primary phase and undercooling.This model in connection with model of crystallisation,which is based on chemical elements diffusion and grain interface kinetics,can be used to predict casting quality and its microstructure.Nucleation models have parameters,which exact values are usually not known and sometimes even their physical meaning is under discussion.Those parameters can be obtained after mathematical analysis of the experimental data.The composites with 0,1,2,3 and 4wt.% of SiC particles were prepared.The AZ91 alloy was a matrix of the composite reinforcement SiC particles.This composite was cast to prepare four different thickness plates.They were taken from the region near to the thermocouple,to analyze the undercooling for different composites and thickness plates and its influence on the grain size.The microstructure and thermal analysis gave set of values that connect mass fraction of SiC particles,and undercooling with grain size.These values were used to approximate nucleation model adjustment parameters.Obtained model can be very useful in modelling composites microstructure.     

Evolution of microstructure in centrifugal cast Al-Cu alloy

In this research,the effects of centrifugal radius and mould rotation speed on microstructure in centrifugal-cast Al-Cu alloy have been investigated.The results show that,with increase of the centrifugal radius or mould rotation speed,the grain size of centrifugal-cast Al-Cu alloy decreases gradually,while the content of white phases containing the Al2Cu precipitated from α-phase,divorced eutectic and regular eutectic microstructure increases,leading to higher Cu macrosegregation.The variation level of microstructure in centrifugal-cast Al-Cu alloy at 600 rpm of mould rotation speed is greater than that at 300 rpm.     

Numerical microstructure prediction for an aluminium casting and its experimental validation

Virtual manufacturing based on through-process modelling becomes an evolving research area which aims at integrating diverse simulation tools to realize computer-aided design, analysis, prototyping and manufacturing. Numerical prediction of the as-cast microstructure is an initial and critical step in the whole through-process modelling chain for engineering components. A commercial software package with the capability of calculating important microstructure features for aluminium alloys is used to simulate a G-AlSi7MgCu0.5 laboratory casting. The simulated microstructure, namely grain size, secondary dendrite arm spacing and diverse phase fractions are verified experimentally. Correspondence and discrepancies are reported and discussed.     

Simulation of α-Al grain formation in high vacuum die-casting Al-Si-Mg alloys with multi-component quantitative cellular automaton method

Al-Si-Mg alloys are the most commonly used material in high vacuum die-casting(HVDC),in which the morphology and distribution ofα-Al grains have important effect on mechanical properties.A multi-component quantitative cellular automaton(CA)model was developed to simulate the microstructure and microsegregation of HVDC Al-Si-Mg alloys with different Si contents(7%and 10%)and cooling rates during solidification.The grain number and average grain size with electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)analysis were used to verify the simulation.The relationship between grain size and nucleation order as well as nuclei density was investigated and discussed.It is found that the growth of grains will be restrained in the location with higher nuclei density.The influence of composition and cooling rate on the solute transport reveals that for AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy the concentration of solute Mg in liquid is higher at the beginning of eutectic solidification.The comparison between simulation and experiment results shows that externally solidified crystals(ESCs)have a significant effect for samples with high cooling rate and narrow solidification interval.     

Modeling studies on divorced eutectic formation of high pressure die cast magnesium alloy

The morphology and content of the divorced eutectic in the microstructure of high pressure die casting(HPDC) magnesium alloy have a great influence on the final performance of castings. Based on the previous work concerning simulation of the nucleation and dendritic growth of primary α-Mg during the solidification of magnesium alloy under HPDC process, an extension was made to the formerly established CA(Cellular Automaton) model with the purpose of modeling the nucleation and growth of Mg-Al eutectic. With a temperature field and solute field obtained during simulation of the primary α-Mg dendrites as the initial condition of the modified CA model, modeling of the Mg-Al eutectic with a divorced morphology was achieved. Moreover, the simulated results were in accordance with the experimental ones regarding the distribution and content of the divorced eutectic. Taking a "cover-plate" die casting with AM60 magnesium alloy as an example, the rapid solidification with a high cooling rate at the surface layer of the casting led to a fine and uniform grain size of primary α-Mg, while the divorced eutectic at the grain boundary revealed a more dispersed and granular morphology. Islands of divorced eutectic were observed at the central region of the casting, due to the existence of ESCs(Externally Solidified Crystals) which contributed to a coarse and non-uniform grain size of primary α-Mg. The volume percentage of the eutectic β-Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase is about 2%-6% in the die casting as a whole. The numerical model established in this study is of great significance to the study of the divorced eutectic in the microstructure of die cast magnesium alloy.     

Simulation of cooling channel rheocasting process of A356 aluminum alloy using three-phase volume averaging model

The cooling channel process is a rehocasting method by which the prematerial with globular microstructure can be produced to fit the thixocasting process. A three-phase model based on volume averaging approach is proposed to simulate the cooling channel process of A356 Aluminum alloy. The three phases are liquid, solid and air respectively and treated as separated and interacting continua, sharing a single pressure field. The mass, momentum, enthalpy transport equations for each phase are solved. The developed model can predict the evolution of liquid, solid and air fraction as well as the distribution of grain density and grain size. The effect of pouring temperature on the grain density, grain size and solid fraction is analyzed in detail.     

Effect of welding speed on the material flow patterns in friction stir welding of AZ31 magnesium alloy

The clear zigzag-line pattern on transverse cross sections can be used to explain the formation mechanism of the weld nugget when friction stir welded AZ31 magnesium alloy without any other insert material is used as mark. It provides a simple and useful method to research the joining mechanism of friction stir welding. The rotation speed is kept at 1000 r/min and the welding speed changes from 120 mm/min to 600 mm/min. The macrostructure on the transverse cross section was divided into several parts by faying surface. The results show that the shape and formation procedure of the weld nugget change with the welding speed. There are two main material flows in the weld nugget： one is from the advancing side and the other is from the retreating side. A simple model on the weld nugget formation of FSW is presented in this article.     

Comparison between two rheocasting processes of damper cooling tube method and low superheat casting

To produce a high quality semisolid slurry that consists of fine primary particles uniformly suspended in the liquid matrix for rheoforming, chemical refining and electromagnetic or mechanical stirring are the two methods commonly used. But these two methods either contaminate the melt or incur high cost. In this study, the damper cooling tube （DCT） method was designed to prepare semisolid slurry of A356 aluminum alloy, and was compared with the low superheat casting （LSC） method - a conventional process used to produce casting slab with equiaxed dendrite microstructure for thixoforming route. A series of comparative experiments were performed at the pouring temperatures of 650 ＆#176;C, 638 ＆#176;C and 622 ＆#176;C. Metal ographic observations of the casting samples were carried out using an optical electron microscope with image analysis software. Results show that the microstructure of semisolid slurry produced by the DCT process consists of spherical primary α-Al grains, while equiaxed grains microstructure is found in the LSC process. The lower the pouring temperature, the smal er the grain size and the rounder the grain morphology in both methods. The copious nucleation, which could be generated in the DCT, owing to the cooling and stirring effect, is the key to producing high quality semisolid slurry. DCT method could produce rounder and smal er α-Al grains, which are suitable for semisolid processing; and the equivalent grain size is no more than 60 μm when the pouring temperature is 622 ＆#176;C.     

ANALYSIS OF FLUID FIELD OF LIQUID METAL IN ELECTROMAGNETIC CENTRIFUGAL CASTING

Navier-Stokes equation and Lorentz force equation are used to calculate the fluid field of liquid metal of electromagnetic centrifugal casting(EMCC) in this paper.A field equationis given,which shows the azimuthal velocity closely relates to electrical conductivity,mag-netic density,viscosity of liquid metal and radius of casting.The results show that the sta-tionary magentic field can effectively restrain the fluid flow and the relative velocity be-tween liquid metal and casting mould and the velocity gradient at solid/liquid interface in-creases with rising magnetic density,which has a great effect on the solidification of liquidmetal and crystal growth characteristies.     

Rheocasting of A356 alloy by Low Superheat Pouring with a Shearing Field

A novel semi-solid slurry-making process was developed, which was a controlled nucleation and growth technique using a specially designed rotational barrel. Experimental study was undertaken to investigate the effects of pouring temperature and rotation speed of barrel on the microstructure of A356 alloy. Localized rapid cooling, combined with vigorous mixing during the initial stage of solidification enhanced wall nucleation and nuclei survival. High nuclei density combined with a much gradual cooling afterwards led to the formation of the near-ideal semi-solid slurry under a large processing window for the pouring temperature. Primal. phase presented in mean equivalent diameter of 50-701μm and shape factor of 0.812-0.847, and featured zero-entrapped eutectic.     

MODELING OF ''BANDING'' MICROSTRUCTURE FORMATION IN CENTRIFUGALLY SOLIDIFIED Ti-6Al-4V ALLOY

Numerical investigations of the 'banding' microstructure formation during solidifica-tion of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in the centrifugal casting are conducted using a multi-scale model, which combines the finite difference method (FDM) at the macroscale with a cellular automaton (CA) model at the microscale. The macro model is used to simu-late the fluid flow and heat transfer throughout the casting. The micro model is used to predict the nucleation and growth of microstructures. With the proposed model,numerical simulations are performed to study the influences of the nucleation density,mould rotation speed, and casting size upon the 'banding' microstructure formation. It is noted that changing the nucleation density has a minor effect on the microstructure formation. The rotation speed promotes the formation of 'banding' microstructure,which is more noticeable for larger size castings. The major mechanism responsi-ble for this 'banding' phenomenon is the spatial variation in cooling rates created by centrifugal force.     

MODELING OF ＇BANDING＇ MICROSTRUCTURE FORMATION IN CENTRIFUGALLY SOLIDIFIED Ti-6Al-4V ALLOY

Numerical investigations of the 'banding' microstructure formation during solidifica-tion of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in the centrifugal casting are conducted using a multi-scale model, which combines the finite difference method (FDM) at the macroscale with a cellular automaton (CA) model at the microscale. The macro model is used to simu-late the fluid flow and heat transfer throughout the casting. The micro model is used to predict the nucleation and growth of microstructures. With the proposed model,numerical simulations are performed to study the influences of the nucleation density,mould rotation speed, and casting size upon the 'banding' microstructure formation. It is noted that changing the nucleation density has a minor effect on the microstructure formation. The rotation speed promotes the formation of 'banding' microstructure,which is more noticeable for larger size castings. The major mechanism responsi-ble for this 'banding' phenomenon is the spatial variation in cooling rates created by centrifugal force.     

Modelling of dendritic growth under forced convection in solidification of Al–7Si alloy

Abstract

An integrated microscale model is used to describe the dendritic growth morphology of Al–7Si alloy under forced convection, which combines the two-dimensional finite difference method (FDM) with the cellular automaton (CA) model. The FDM is used to simulate the induced fluid flow and solute transfer. The CA model is used to depict the dendritic morphology. Simulations are performed to investigate the influences of processing variables on morphological evolution under stirring. Calculated results reveal that at the intermediate undercooling, the growth morphology changes from dendritic to rosette as the rotation speed increases. The dendritic growth is promoted by increasing the undercooling. The rotation speed has a minor influence on microstructure formation for the cases of lower and higher undercoolings. A globulitic structure is formed as the nucleation density is increased. Changing the rotation speed is found to have a negligible influence on morphological evolution for the grain refined alloy.     

连铸工艺对方坯凝固组织影响的数值模拟

铸坯凝固组织特征对于连铸坯粗坯质量具有重要影响。通过建立重轨钢U71Mn方坯连铸过程中传热和凝固组织模拟数学模型,研究了CA模型特征参数和连铸操作工艺参数对于凝固组织特征的影响规律。研究结果表明：平均形核过冷度控制柱状晶区域,随着该值的增大,柱状晶区域也随之增大;最大形核密度控制晶粒尺寸,该值越大晶粒的尺寸则越小。连铸拉坯速度波动在±0.5m/min时,最终铸态组织特征并没有明显变化,而浇注温度对于最终铸坯组织结构具有较大的影响,晶粒平均半径由15℃的1.555mm增加到45℃的1.721mm,并且中心等轴晶比例逐渐减小。因此,连铸生产过程中,在满足钢液顺利浇注的条件下,降低浇注钢液的过热度会很大程度上改善重轨钢内部组织结构,提高铸坯内部质量。     

Grain refinement behavior of an aluminum alloy by inoculation and dynamic nucleation

Grain refinement offers several benefits in aluminum casting applications. Two methods are normally used to achieve a grain-refined microstructure: inoculation and dynamic nucleation. Inoculation is widely applied in industry, but is not an efficient process. Dynamic nucleation, achieved by application of localized forced convection with rapid cooling, is an alternative process. However, a deeper understanding of dynamic nucleation is required if this process is to be used commercially. This study aims to understand the grain refinement behavior of an aluminum alloy under the influences of inoculation and dynamic nucleation. A rapid quenching method was used to investigate the combined effects of inoculation and dynamic nucleation on the solid fraction, particle density and particle size of the secondary nuclei. In addition, the effects of the particle density of the secondary nuclei on the final cast microstructure were studied. The rapid quenching results show that dynamic nucleation by application of forced convection with localized cooling to the melt yields an increased solid fraction and particle density of secondary nuclei. The solid fraction and particle density are further increased by inoculation. This study also shows that increasing the convection level in an inoculated melt held at a temperature slightly above the liquidus temperature increases the effectiveness of dynamic nucleation, which consequently yields a finer microstructure of the final cast samples. The findings suggest that grain refinement can be effectively achieved by applying forced convection with localized cooling to create a low fraction solid of secondary nuclei in the melt prior to pouring and casting.     

立式离心铸造技术及其应用

介绍了立式离心铸造方法、浇口尺寸和铸型转速的计算。金属液在离心力作用下通过内浇口对铸件进行补缩,形成了从铸件外缘到旋转中心直浇口处的顺序凝固。与重力铸造相比,该工艺显著地提高了铸件成品率和机械性能,达到以较少的成本生产出较多优质铸件的目标。     

压铸镁合金微观组织模拟

采用CellularAutomaton微观模型 ,对压铸镁合金的三维微观组织演变进行了模拟。在模拟过程中 ,采用连续形核模型处理液态金属的异质形核现象 ,通过正态分布函数描述形核质点密度随温度的分布关系 ,在给定过冷度时对分布函数积分可得到该时刻的形核密度 ,晶粒生长模型则考虑了枝晶尖端生长动力学和择优生长方向 <10 10 >,也考虑了温度场的影响 ,并完成了宏观温度场和微观计算的耦合。最后通过压铸镁合金标准拉伸试棒金相试验 ,对模拟结果进行了验证 ,试验结果和模拟结果在平均晶粒尺寸方面符合较好     

用Cellular Automaton方法模拟压铸镁合金AM50的微观组织

基于Cellular Automaton(CA)方法的基本原理,建立了压铸镁合金AM50形核和等轴晶粒生长的二维数学物理模型,能够对任意晶向的等轴晶晶粒生长进行模拟。模型耦合了宏观传热与微观组织模拟计算,镁合金AM50阶梯块压铸件的温度场通过热传导反算法计算求得。对阶梯块压铸件不同阶梯表面的微观组织进行了模拟,并与金相试验结果进行了对比,它们在晶粒尺寸上吻合较好。     

Cellular Automaton法模拟铝合金微观组织的形成

采用Cellular Automaton微观模型，在给定冷却曲线的条件下，对铝合金板材凝固过程组织的形成进行了二维数值模拟。采用连续形核的方法处理液态金属的异质形核现象。用CA算法处理晶粒生长过程，考虑了枝晶尖端生长动力学和优先生长方向〈100〉晶向。通过模拟动态再现了凝固过程中晶粒的形核与生长。结果表明，在形核分布参数不变的情况下，随着冷却速度的增加，所得晶粒尺寸增大。